To optimize fat loss rather than weight loss, use the Project Shred diet plan for only 3 weeks, then scale back to a less restrictive meal plan. Be sure to use a workout routine like Fat Loss for Men or Fat Loss for Women, in order to maintain muscle mass during your weight loss phase.
Many women have misconceptions when it comes to the prospect of adding a weight routine to their exercise regimen.
For example, there seems to be a common myth that lifting weights will transform you into a bodybuilder, laden with bulky muscles. Although this is indeed a goal for some women, it takes a lot more than lifting weights to bulk up.
Ladies, you shouldn’t allow these virtually baseless rumors to hold you back, especially considering the many benefits you stand to gain by adding weights to your fitness routine.
Rather than paying heed to rumors, you might want to first discover just what will happen when you start lifting weights, and here are some positive side effects that could just have you heading for the weight bench, or more likely for the squat rack, the next time you go to the gym.
Remember, building muscle does not mean getting huge. It actually means elevating your metabolism, tightening your buns, and firming your abs.
Read the rest of this entry »
You want to have enough energy to do dumbbell handstand push ups? Try this frosty shake on for size.
Many people like the energy boost that they get from exercising early since it stays with them throughout the day and leaves them pleasantly sleepy at night. But if you’re not an early riser, you might find that you prefer working out during your lunch break or in the evening, despite the fact that it can leave you pumped up and unable to snooze when your head hits the pillow.
Of course, you may find that exercising later in the day presents you with myriad problems. Perhaps you’re too tired or demands on your time inevitably pop up, preventing you from getting in your workout.
In any case, you might end up deciding that starting your day with a workout is the best way to go. However, it can definitely be difficult to roll out of bed an hour earlier than usual, even if you’re committed to making it work.
So here are a few strategies that should help you find the motivation you need to exercise first thing in the morning.
For some reason, people seem to harbor the misconception that turning fifty means you’re old. In truth, it wasn’t really so long ago that the average life expectancy was about fifty-five, but thanks to modern medicine and advancing technology, many people now live to be far older than that. A growing awareness about the role diet and exercise play in human longevity hasn’t hurt, either.
What’s truly astonishing is how many people still believe that there is ever a time in life when it’s too late to start paying attention to your relative state of health and making changes that can benefit you for the rest of your life.
While you might not be surprised to see those in the 50+ category changing their diets to lower blood pressure or cholesterol, it’s likely that you’ll register wonder that your contemporaries are starting a workout routine.
The honest truth is that exercise at any age has the power to transform you if you go about it in the proper way. So here are a few tips to help you get the physique you seek, even if you’re starting to get letters from AARP.
* Don’t miss part 1: How to Get a Degree in Exercise Science
* Don’t miss part 2: How to Get a Degree in Physiology
Kinesiology is ostensibly the study of human movement, but there’s a lot more to it than looking at variations in gait or the way people tilt their heads. In fact, kinesiology, as a science, tends to be far more concerned with how an in-depth knowledge of movement, including the interdependent roles of physiology, psychology, and body mechanics, pertains to the study of human health, including applications for physical therapy, rehabilitation, and orthopedics, just to name a few areas of potential benefit.
So why might someone be interested in obtaining such a degree? And how can you go about getting one that is the most likely to net you your dream job?
Here are a few pointers to help you obtain the degree in kinesiology that’s right for you.
Most athletes do whatever exercises are most beneficial for their sport of choice. Often, the focus of a workout regimen is geared towards the demands of the sport in question.
For example, marathon runners train by running, while cyclists – you guessed it – train by riding their bikes. But whether you play soccer or basketball, you’re big on Parkour, or your idea of a good time includes a kayak and white-water rapids, you may find, at some point that your training sessions are not delivering the results that they used to. Or perhaps you’ve found that you can’t seem to get over a personal plateau with a pure cardio routine.
Whatever the case, you may eventually come to the realization that adding weight training to your efforts could be beneficial to your overall health and fitness, taking you to the next level with whatever form of athletics you prefer. And here are just a few benefits that should help convince you to take the leap and lift some weights.
When most women picture their ideal physique, there are a few body parts that are always the main focus in many ladies mind. A tight and toned mid-section, arms, legs and last but not least; their derriere. Female Fitness competitors such as Larissa Reis and pop stars such as Shakira have a back side that is desired by many women. Many a women also have the desire to have beautiful built glutes to show off in their bikinis, dresses, underwear or just about anything to show off their physique.
If you have a million and one questions and just simply feel lost amongst all the information or simply don’t know where to start, then hopefully this article will be perfect for you. With good research combined with personal experience this article shall be the saving grace you have needed.
To achieve a well-shaped and curved butt it is important to know basic information on the anatomy of the glutes. The glutes are made up of three muscles, which all need to be targeted.
It was a witch hunt with no perceived end in sight. Late last year, exhausted from the protracted fight, Lance Armstrong declared he would no longer fight doping allegations. He was promptly stripped of his Tour de France titles and banned from cycling.
That was the end of that right? All that remained was speculation and conjecture. Then the Oprah interview happened. Not only did Armstrong confess to doping, his PED cocktails contained two of the most abused substances in sports.
Steroids and HGH are the best known and least understood performance enhancers in popular culture. Are the rewards so great they outweigh potential side effects and consequences?
Often used interchangeably, steroids and HGH are completely different compounds that have distinct effects on the body, each one carrying an array of advantages and disadvantages.
No, I’m not talking about you. Yeah you probably are a health nut if you are anything like most Project Swole readers, but today I want to talk about healthy nuts, as in peanuts, almonds, cashew, walnuts, etc…
I was afraid I scared everyone away with last week’s post about Peanut Butter of Death, so this week I’m here to tell you that as long as your peanut butter isn’t contaminated, you can be sure that eating nuts is just as healthy a snack as it ever was.
Without further ado, I give you:
* Don’t miss part 1: How to Get a Degree in Exercise Science
If you’ve ever wondered just what it is that makes humans function the way they do, what keeps our bodies and minds up and running, then you might take a shine to the academic field of physiology, which is basically the study of living systems.
Human physiology, in particular, focuses on the physical, mechanical, biological, and chemical makeup of the human body, including cells, organs, and the body as a whole. You might think this sounds an awful lot like anatomy, and truly the two fields are closely related in that they both study the human body.
Whereas anatomy is largely concerned with the form of the human body, including how all the parts are laid out and interconnected, physiology is more interested in the function of these parts and how they work together in a living organism. Most medical fields require the study of both, but if you’re a lot more interested in the function than the form of humans, a degree in physiology is what you’re looking for.
Weight lifting is a great way to exercise, build toned muscle, burn calories, and promote overall health–but it can be dangerous as well. Our bodies aren’t used to the stress of heavy lifting, and our backs are particularly vulnerable to strain and injury.
An injured back can keep you out of the gym for weeks, or even months at a time, depending on the severity of the injury and your ability to recover. If you want to stay healthy, strong, and transform your body into a work of art, always remember to protect your back.
Never start a workout without warming up first. Your body just isn’t ready for the stress of heavy lifting when you walk through the gym doors. You need to get primed before you start hitting the weights.
When it comes to supporting your fitness routine with a suitable diet, it can be rather difficult to stick to the program, especially when you’re confronted by the delicious foods commonly found at social gatherings like BBQs and picnics. Not only are these traditional recipes fragrant and delicious, but it can be very difficult to deny yourself when everyone else is digging in with obvious relish.
In truth, most people have a much harder time sticking to a diet than an exercise regimen, likely because of the vast abundance of food options available to modern man, as well as a culture that urges us towards excess and instant gratification (often at the expense of long-term goals).
So the next time you go to a picnic or BBQ, you should prepare yourself to avoid certain foods that are sure to tank any type of diet (even when you’re bulking you’re likely to have some guidelines for appropriate foods).
Here are some foods you’ll want to steer clear of and how you can compensate for continued success.
Regardless of your fitness goals, your diet plays an important role in achieving the levels of physical strength, muscle tone, and overall health and fitness you desire. And since most of us have specific results in mind, it’s a good idea to spend just as much time and effort working out a targeted diet as working out at the gym.
For example, the dietary needs of a bodybuilder are very different than those of a person running a marathon. So if you’re looking to build muscle and your exercise regimen doesn’t seem to be delivered to your satisfaction, perhaps it’s time to do a little research and discover which foods will ensure optimum results in concert with your weight lifting efforts. In addition to food, you can use several testosterone products to build muscle faster too.
For today we will focus on nutrition. Here are a few foods that are sure to help you pack on the right kind of pounds.
You might think that any high-calorie foods will be sufficient when it comes to bulking up, but this is not true. Some will add fat as well as muscle, or only fat, and that’s definitely not what you’re looking for.
What you really need are foods that will repair and build your muscles as you add greater amounts of weight to your lifting routine, and your best bet is to use a combination of foods that make a complete and balanced diet that is nonetheless high in certain nutrients. You’ll need plenty of protein to build and maintain muscle, as well as carbs to replace all the calories you’re burning, but you’ll also need fruits, vegetables, and fats (yes, fats) to keep your body healthy and functioning properly.
Read the rest of this entry »Everyone knows that to have visible abs, a good clean diet is absolutely essential to get rid of the fat covering them. However, this article is about creating bullet proof abs, not flimsy beach abs. The type of abs that are useful in sports, taking punches to the stomach, and that make for a strong core.
Having a strong core helps prevent back pain, so don’t skimp on regular abdominal work!
Having the strength to hold your body in a certain position is key in several ways. There are examples of static hold training being useful for every day situations, and for athletic endeavors.
When you’re driving, activating your core to support your spine will release stress on your back, and bring your shoulders into better alignment. When you are rock climbing and stabilizing your body to keep it from moving, or trying not to move your upper torso back and forth while running… static holds are everywhere.
Some key exercises to perform are planks, both on your hands in the push up position, on your elbows, and on your sides using one hand. An even more advanced position is raising one leg on your side – known as the starfish pose (right) – which causes a lot of imbalance and seriously engages your core.
Still too easy? Try adding a weight vest or holding a dumbbell or kettlebell overhead with your free arm.
When it comes to health and fitness, many college students are too wrapped up in the demands of their academic pursuits to pay much attention. Even those that have been athletic in the past or are currently members of sports teams on campus might neglect their nutrition when they’re in a rush to get to class or they’re cramming for a test.
In case you hadn’t heard, unless you are practicing Intermittent Fasting, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The reason for this is that it sets the tone for your metabolism, your satiety, and your level of energy throughout the rest of the day.
What you eat (and how you go about eating it) could have a major impact on your overall health and vitality. Keep in mind on test day, that your brain operates on carbs. Having some fruit and oatmeal before a big exam is scientifically the best way to exam prep.
As you can see from the picture of the girl on the right, breakfast does a college body good.
Here are just a few breakfast dos and don’ts to observe in college if you want to optimize health and fitness during your time on campus. Practice these tips now, and you will be more likely to carry them through the rest of your life.
If you’re interested in studying the effects of exercise on the body, including how people respond and adapt to the physical strain of exercise, as well as the role different types of physical activity may play in harming or helping the body, then a degree in exercise science, sometimes known as exercise physiology, may be just what you’re looking for.
Many folks intending to get in to the physical fitness field, opt to get certified or licensed instead of acquiring a college degree. While a personal trainer or sports nutrition certification will give you a strong background in that particular field, most of those classes are either online or studied from home, and do not garner the same kind of respect in the industry as a college degree.
In fact, a master’s degree will give you the best education and will put you on the fast-track to the top in your chosen field.
The major benefit of signing up for a gym membership is that you gain access to a facility that houses the many large and expensive pieces of fitness equipment that you want to use, from cardio machines like the treadmill and Stairmaster to weight-training options that let you work specific muscle groups without the onus of lifting free weights. And yet, there are also drawbacks to going to the gym.
For one thing, choosing a popular and well-appointed facility means that you may have to wait in line for machines, or else frequent the gym during oddball hours, like the middle of the night. And once you finally get your turn, the machines could be a mess of sweat and germs. Yuck. Of course, you also have to go through the time-wasting hassle of actually driving to the gym, yet another deterrent to your motivation.
Wouldn’t it be better if you had the equipment you needed at home? It might be pricy, but there are definitely bonuses to having a home gym, and there are all kinds of ways to save when you purchase the high-end equipment needed to help you get fit.
All kinds of businesses carry liability insurance as a way to protect themselves from lawsuits should a client slip on a wet floor or fall off a chair in the meeting room, for example. Whenever a client is on your property you are liable for their health and safety, so should they suffer some kind of accident or injury while in your care (so to speak) you could find yourself on the hook for medical bills and other expenses.
Of course, there are other types of liability as well, concerning the products a business manufactures, how they are promoted, copyrights, and so on. But when you’re a personal trainer, the main type of liability you’ll likely be concerned with is the physical variety.
But how does liability insurance apply when you don’t operate out of your own business location?
Does the average personal trainer really need to pay for this type of insurance?
If you’re committed to your health and fitness, then you’ve probably got a regular routine worked out already. But you may have found that over time, your targeted regimen begins to deliver fewer returns in the way of results.
This is not such a terrible thing when you’re merely maintaining your level of fitness. But when you have to look your best for an event like a wedding, a body-builder competition, or even a stroll down the red carpet, you may be keen to up your game where your workouts are concerned.
The process starts with assessing your current state, determining your goals, and then figuring out the steps needed to get you where you want to be within a set time limit. So whether you have several months to prepare or just a couple of weeks, here are some tips that will help to get you in peak physical condition before the big event.
